I closed the copy of Romeo and Juliet I had been reading and glanced over at Emily. Her face was buried in a copy of To Kill A Mockingbird. This is how we spend most afternoons in Barnes and Nobel.
"You know Em," I said breaking her reading marathon. "I don't think Shakespeare knew anything about love."
"Are you crazy Vee," Emily retorted. "Romeo and Juliet is the greatest love story ever told."
"It wasn't love though," I shot back. "it was infatuation. Love goes a lot deeper."
Emily got up to check out a customer and sent a sigh my way. "Your over analyzing it Vee."
I shook my head and picked the book back up. I wasn't over analyzing it. You can't love at first sight. It's impossible. It takes times to love.
The bell on the door beeped signaling the arrival of joyous book lovers, but when I heard a particular voice I know I was wrong.
"This place is huge," Gerard exclaimed hauling Frank and Mikey into the bookstore with him. I watched them until Gerard caught my eye. He waved ecstatically and rushed over. "Vee! Vee!" He exclaimed like I had somehow missed his entrance.
Frank and Mikey followed. Frank smiled at me and leaned over to give me a sweet kiss on the cheek. I hoped my facial expressions weren't showing it because I was surprised. For one that Frank had actually showed some sweetness and two hadn't been a sleeze-ball and attacked my lips.
"Gerard, Mikey, Frankie, what are you guys doing here?"
Gerard smiled and pointed to somewhere behind me. "Well we were across the street at Pizza Hut and Frank mentioned you worked here so I was like 'Hey lets see what Vee's doing' so here we are."
I gave Gerard a smile. I was amazed at the amount of energy this kid had outside of school. Usually he was half zombie.
"So where's Maria, Bob, and Ray?"
"Still at Pizza Hut," Mikey answered.
"Hey Vee," Gerard said getting my attention. "Did you know I can eat a piece of pizza in 30 seconds flat."
"Impressive," I smiled.
"Hey Gee," Mikey called. He had ventured to look at a few books. "Come look at this book by Irvine Welsh." Gerard gave me a quick bow and went over to Mikey. I laughed at his behavior and looked at Frank who now stood in front of me.
"So this is what you guys do with your afternoons?" I asked giving him a small smile.
Frank smiled back and leaned on the counter. "Yeah." I looked into his hazel eyes and maybe for once I saw some good intentions, but it was gone when I heard a cough at my side. I turned away to see Emily smiling at the both of us.
"Oh Em," I said forgetting completely she was there. "Emily this is Frankie, Frankie, Emily." Emily smiled and gave a small wave to Frank who returned it.
"Um Vee when do you get off?" Frank asked standing up straight again.
I checked the clock. "Um...in about an hour and a half. Why?"
"That's perfect," he said not answering my question. "I'll meet you here then."
"But what are we doing?"
"You'll see," he said. He smiled and went over to grab Mikey and Gerard.
"5 tales of Chemical Romance, that's interesting," Gerard was saying.
"C'mon guys. We're going."
"But..."
"C'mon Gerard."
Gerard huffed and put the book down. "See ya Vee," he shouted waving at me.
I smiled and waved back. Mikey shook his head. "See ya later Vee," he said a little more quietly than Gerard.
They walked towards the door but before leaving Frank turned back and blew me a kiss. I just sat and stared at him raising an eyebrow.
"You're suppose to catch it," he called.
"Frank," I said in a warning tone.
"Frankie," he corrected before smiling and leaving the store.
I smiled too not really know why.
"So that's the Frank that you hate," Emily said. I twisted around to look at her. "Or should I say Frankie."
"Em..."
"I'm just a little confused Vee. A few days ago you hated him..."
"I do hate him."
"It doesn't look like that to me. He kissed your cheek when he entered and didn't look at anyone else 'til he left." Emily stopped letting the point set in. "I'd say you guys were going out."
"We're not going out," I jumped in right away.
"Then what's going on?"
I was a little hesitant about telling Emily about the agreement Frank and I had made, but who would she tell? "Okay here's the thing...," I started. I told Emily what had exactly happened in the past few days. I told her about what happened in the library, at school, and at Maria's house. I finally finished hoping Emily would be satisfied.
She didn't say anything right away so I just waited giving her time. Finally she answered, "Vee, I don't understand why you think you have no friends."
"Em, it's not that," I chimed quickly. "You're my best friend; you always will be, it's just I wanted some friends from my school that I could hang out with like during lunch and stuff." I didn't want Emily to feel hurt. She was my best friend.
Emily listened with a half grin. Finally she smiled and nudged my arm. "You didn't tell me Frank was so hot."
"He's not hot," I answered looking away so Emily wouldn't see my cheeks glow.
"What were you looking at? He's totally hot!"
"Emily," I warned.
"Okay, okay," she laughed. "but you could hook us up."
She got a whack in the arm as a reply.